familiar . Of course . Molly had mentioned missing children earlier that day. But that was in some other town, not here, he thought.
âDidnât that happen somewhere else?â
She rolled her eyes. âFirst, Brighton. Then here.â
That must explain why the playground is empty , Tim thought. All the children in this neighborhood must have gone missing, too.
âSo,â Tim continued, âwho is Oliver?â
The girl scowled. âMy little brother.â
Hm. Clearly she isnât a fan . âSo, if all the other kids are gone, why arenât you missing?â Tim asked.
âI had to go to the orthodontist.â She grimaced and showed him her braces. âWhen I got home, everyone was gone.â
âDo you have any idea where they went?â Tim asked, curious in spite of himself. It was kind of a relief to worry about someone elseâs problems for a change.
âNo one knows. But I bet it has something to do with that foreign kid who was always playing at the abandoned manor.â
âWhat foreign kid?â
âHe had a funny accent and wore the strangest clothes. I never saw anyone like him before.â
âWhere was he from?â Tim asked.
The girl shrugged. âAmerica, I suppose. He kept going on about it being a free country where he came from. Isnât that what they call America? He was always trying to get us to play games. Baby stuff. Hopscotch and the like. Nursery rhymes.â
âHave the police been âround?â
The girl rolled her eyes. âCourse they have. Just like on the telly. They asked me loads of questions. But I donât think theyâll ever find Oliver.â
âDo you miss him?â Tim had always wondered what it would be like to have a sister orbrother, especially in the last few weeks when everything had grown more and more confusing.
âMy mum does. Sheâs frantic. I wish I was the one missing. No one pays any attention to me. All they care about is my stupid, piggy brother.â
So much for sisterly love , Tim thought.
âThe foreign kid is gone now, too. Maybe he wasnât behind it at all. Maybe the kidnappers got him as well.â The girl shivered. âMaybe someone is out to kidnap all the children in the whole world. I overheard my parents talking, and they said forty children disappeared from Brighton. The same sort of case.â
âTheyâll figure it out, Iâm sure,â Tim said.
âHow do you know?â she demanded in an accusing tone. âYou donât know anything.â
âWell, what I mean to say is, uhm, Iâm sure your brother is okay,â Tim said.
âMaybe he is and maybe he isnât.â
Tim shook his head. No matter what he tried to say, it was the wrong thing. Is it me? Is it girls? Is it this girl in particular? He wasnât even sure which she was more upset aboutâthat her brother had gone missing or that she hadnât.
A woman with light brown hair and wire-rim glasses rushed into the playground. âAvril!â she cried. âYou were supposed to be home ten minutes ago! I was so worried.â
Ten minutes ? My dad doesnât start to worry until Iâve been gone extra hours, not extra minutes. If then.
The woman charged over to the swing and swooped the girl up into her arms. âI was afraid youâd been stolen away, too,â she said.
Tim noticed a smirk cross Avrilâs face. He suspected that she had planned this. Tim was fairly certain Avril was going to continue being late as long as she could get away with it. She obviously relished the attention.
The woman finally noticed Tim. âYou should get home right away, young man,â she scolded him. âGo inside and stay there. There are crazy people around.â
Tim stood. âYou have no idea,â he replied.
Â
Marya stood in a confusing jumble of noise and motion. She blinked a few times and took a deep breath. That